With conventional magnetic resonance units it is unavoidable that the operators regularly stand in very close proximity to the magnet of the magnetic resonance unit, to position the patient on the patient support device, which can for example be configured as a patient bed or to help said patient leave. The patient bed is usually designed such that it can only be moved as far as is absolutely necessary out of the hollow space of the magnet. Also control elements such as switches, a keypad and in some instances also corresponding output elements, such as a display unit, can also be disposed on the outside of the magnetic resonance unit, so that the operators generally have to stand for quite a long time in direct proximity to the magnet, to adjust or control the magnetic resonance unit.
Although according to current knowledge of magnetic resonance units they do not represent a hazard, there has recently been some discussion among elements of the public, whether the presence of people in electromagnetic fields is associated with an adverse effect on their health. Static magnetic fields, as are present in the area around a conventional magnetic resonance unit, are deemed to be problematic, as well as electromagnetic alternating fields. The operators of a magnetic resonance unit have to stand in very close proximity to the magnet when introducing a patient into the hollow space of the magnet and positioning them there, with the result that they spend quite a long time in static magnetic fields. At the same time there is a tendency to use increasingly strong magnetic fields for MR imaging. New MR systems, that are currently available, operate with a magnetic flux density of 2 tesla, while in the near future magnetic resonance units will operate at 3 tesla and for research purposes units operating at 7 to 10 tesla are already being designed and developed, with the result that the problems mentioned will take on an even greater significance.
Until now the patient support device, in particular the patient bed, has been designed in such a manner that it is located in proximity to the magnet. If it were to move out further, a larger high-frequency cabin would be required for the magnetic resonance unit. Conventional magnetic resonance units however have the disadvantage that the operators have to ensure, during introduction into the hollow space of the magnet, that lines, hoses, etc. do not become trapped between the patient bed and the inner lining. As mentioned above, the control elements required to move the patient bed in and out are normally attached to the front lining of the magnetic resonance unit, in such a manner that the operators are permanently in the area of influence of the static magnetic field during the entire procedure of positioning the patient for introduction into the hollow space.